Paul Goodwin’s Rovers Verdict: Husband has plenty to offer

JAMES Husband would be forgiven for casting a rather envious eye upon the rapid rise to fame of Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling.

Okay, so the comparison between the Anfield wonderkid and a teenager on the fringes of a League One side might not be an obvious one.

But while Sterling has been unleashed on the best league in the world, eighteen-year-old Husband - one year Sterling’s senior - has been kept very much under wraps by Dean Saunders.

But for how much longer? The impact of Sterling shows that youth is no barrier.

Husband prefers playing full back.

The tough-tackling teenager told me over the summer he sees himself as a defender.

But with his route to the first team blocked by Tommy Spurr, and with Saunders intent upon fielding the back four equivalent of ‘Land of the Giants’, Husband would be well advised to grab any chance further up field.

And with pace to burn and the ability to deliver a wicked cross, he could yet become Doncaster’s secret weapon in a more advanced role.

Husband can count himself desperately unlucky to have only started one game this term, the memorable comeback win against Hull City in which he played a starring role.

Since bursting onto the scene he has made one major error. It led to a goal for Rotherham in a meaningless pre-season friendly.

And most surprising about his bit-part role since is that Husband embodies the spirit that Saunders preaches.

Relaxed and laid back off the field, the youngster is as fiery and competitive as they come on it.

And like Sterling, as a youth team product, he would immediately galvanise support.

It’s no coincidence at all that Husband’s only start against Hull generated one of the noisiest Keepmoat atmospheres since the ground opened.

Ask those same supporters for their favourite moment of the season so far and David Cotterill’s wonder goal at Walsall might just sneak it.

But Husband’s match-winning tackle against the Tigers won’t be far behind.

Like Brendan Rodgers, Saunders should have no qualms about throwing Husband into the first team. He’s proven he can handle himself.

And if Doncaster’s bright young thing has been watching Sterling, he might just have more of an appetite for that attacking role.